About Me

Patricio Mangubat is the new Juan dela Cruz. Put it succinctly, it is all about presenting a new brand to represent the Filipino People. For those who don't know, Patricio Mangubat stands for two words. " Patricio" is a formal name which is Iberian or Spanish word meaning " country". " Mangubat", meanwhile, is an old Tagalog term meaning " to go to the mountains or to fight." Put together, Patricio Mangubat stands for country or Patriots Fight.

The Blog Farm: 1Million Bloggers and growing...

KABAYANIHAN NGAYON NA!

Against All Forms of Oppression

TECHNORATI

SEO

Wikio

Alexa

Newsletter

Google+ Badge

Contact Form

Name

Email
*

Message
*

Saturday, June 1, 2013

August 26 as Independence Day, not June 12

June 12 may be our official declaration of Independence and many academicians debated this and even fought for it in the halls of Congress, because before, we celebrate July 4 as our Independence date. Now, I am convinced that even June 12 is not the official date when we declared our independence. It is August 26 when the forces of the Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio declared freedom and independence and eventually created a de facto government shortly after that.

June 12 is debatable because at that time, the succession was illegitimate. Emilio Aguinaldo's election as President was questionable. Indeed, that Tejeros Convention event where an election was called, was rigged and Bonifacio formally declared it as such and did not recognize it. Bonifacio had at that time, the authority and the power to declare such electoral exercise as illegitimate because he was the Supremo, elected in an earlier electoral exercise by members of the Katipunan. The Katipunan at that time, was acting as government in several liberated areas, not just in Cavite. The fact was, the base of the Republic was in the mountains of Caloocan. Caloocan was the hotbed of the revolutionary government, and this government was largely recognized by the people as their own legitimate government.

Those who recognize Aguinaldo as the legitimate president of the Republic were members of the Cavite branch of the Katipunan revolutionary government. When these elements seized and eventually executed Bonifacio, it was an act of defiance against the existing legitimate Katipunan government. Fact was, it was a criminal act, an act of treason. Aguinaldo and his cohorts deserve the death penalty.

Who, then, replaced Bonifacio shortly after his death? Documents point to General Emilio Jacinto, the confidente and loyal member of the Katipunan. Jacinto never recognized Aguinaldo's authority. The bulk of the Katipunan, led by Macario Sakay, a Tondo resident, also did not recognize Aguinaldo's power. Most Katipuneros saw the ruse, that explains why Aguinaldo's forces suffered numerous defeats shortly after he assumed power and killed Bonifacio because Aguinaldo did not get most of the support he expected from the Katipuneros.